


Mickey Mouse

by CallMeTheNuge (Giraffe23)



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Animal Transformation, Confessions, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff and Angst, Hockey, M/M, Not Beta Read, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:54:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24156190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Giraffe23/pseuds/CallMeTheNuge
Summary: Words could have many consequences.They could hurt and heal. Cause danger or bring safety.And they could even land Mitchell Marner with one ridiculous nickname that may turn out to be more true than anyone realised.
Relationships: Mitch Marner/Auston Matthews
Comments: 11
Kudos: 53





	Mickey Mouse

**Author's Note:**

> The stupid world of NHL nicknames made me do it. 'Nough said.

NHL nicknames could get really fucking weird, or they could be something that suck with you your entire career and then turned into a legacy for Rookies to whisper to each other in years to come. It goes without saying that Mitch had hoped for the latter - any _sane_ person would (and no Connor McDaddy did _not_ count as sane) - so, of course, of _fucking_ course, he'd been lumped with… well...

 _Mitchy_ was fine, not amazing but a solid 7/10 where nicknames were concerned. It did the work.

 _Marns_ made sense, it was a shorter version of his last name. Short and sweet and straight to the point. A nickname in a nutshell.

 _The Magician,_ and a few other variations on 'magic', were a little more out there, but he was a fucking wizard at creating plays on the ice so he'd take it.

Three perfectly good options, and yet, a stupid childhood nightmare had come to haunt Mitch's locker room experience. Why? Oh why? Oh _why_ , had it had to be Hyms that found out. But as much as Mitch hated it, he had found out and now the entire locker room had adopted it as a nickname come ready-made chirp. It wasn't the worst Mitch had heard thrown around - fuck you, Collar McBroken - but it was grating and annoying all the same.

So on a dreary Monday morning, as he dragged himself sleepily into the locker room with Auston behind him, he had seen Willy draw in breath for a loud, cheerful greeting-

"There's my Mickey Mouse!"

\- And he was hightailing it out of there to find some coffee. There was a limit of tiredness that a person could be at and be able to deal with Nylander at the same time, Mitch was at that limit. So, he ran. Well, sauntered tiredly away at some speed but it was the principle of the thing.

Why couldn't everyone respect Mitch's need for time and space in the morning? It _really_ wasn't that hard. Auston had picked up on it pretty quickly after he arrived; so no one else had an excuse. Of course, Auston wasn't perfect; he still hadn't picked up on Mitch's beautifully subtle hints at a morning Starbucks run. The lack of coffee provided on their shared drive into the arena was probably the only reason Mitch hasn't proposed to Auston already, not trained well enough yet. As it was, the lack of coffee was enough to keep Mitch from jumping the other man's bones.

He'd made it mostly to the small kitchenette when he heard voices and footsteps that would be more at home for a herd of wild animals than actual people. Mitch ducked into the nearest door to avoid any more caffeine deficient interactions and waited for the small army of players to pass by.

The sound was just beginning to peter out when Mitch felt a strange tingling in his limbs that began to spread through his body, a sharp cramping started up in his stomach; making him groan. The room began to morph and sway as Mitch curled around his abdomen; shutting his eyes didn't help with the pain but it stopped the panic a little as the swirling colours were blocked out. Mitch's head felt like it was going to explode from the loud ringing and pressure-filled pulses that appeared along with the stomach pain. The overwhelming sensations continued for a seemingly endless amount of time before everything suddenly stopped and Mitch felt like a large blanket, or something had been thrown over him.

Mitch frowned at the cavern of darkness the cloth produced. He hadn't heard anyone enter the room with him, he probably wouldn't have noticed if they had, but he was a bit confused why a bystander would throw a blanket over him while he was probably in visible pain. Mitch felt a little swell of irritation - it better not have been Willy or, God forbid, Aus because Mitch would kill them - and batted at the blanket or tried to at least. It was one really _big_ blanket. Unable to release himself by moving the heavy cloth around, Mitch gave up and decided to crawl towards a patch of light he could see off to one side.

As he moved his body felt strange, ungainly in a way he hadn't experienced since he was thirteen years old and suddenly growing like nobody's business but even that hadn't been this _weird_. Mitch pushed the thought away in favour of escaping the rapidly heating prison. Struggling his way through, Mitch briefly wondered if the room had even been big enough for the amount of distance he was travelling but dismissed that thought as well - if he had moved that far then there had to be that much room for him to move, simple logic.

Finally, Mitch managed to drag himself out of the darkness and into the outside world. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, Mitch looked around and _froze_.

The room was _huge_.

The ceiling looked to be equivalent to the height of a mountain as Mitch craned his head back to look and turning towards the door showed the same trippy conclusion. The door handle was miles and _miles_ away, up in the air and seemingly enormous as well. Mitch blinked once, twice and again for good measure.

_What the fuck?_

Twisting around, Mitch saw that the big blanket - he was an idiot - was actually his crumpled clothes. The problem, however, was not his now a thousand times too big pants but the thin pink **tail** that was resting on top of them _and coming from Mitch himself_.

Mitch tried to take deep breaths as he inspected the 'tail'. His mind seemed divided on its freak out duties as part of him ran around screaming and covered in fire while the rest sat back and just accepted that he had a fucking tail now. Like… **what**?

After a few minutes the calmer side won out and Mitch sat staring at his tail and tried to ignore why he had one. He couldn't ignore the fact his stomach was now brown and hairy or the fact his hands were now paws _but_ he could make a good go of it for a little while. Deciding he wasn't going to consider _what_ he was meant Mitch then had time to wonder about how he could get out of being the _thing_ he wasn't thinking about being. He was just pondering how he might get out of the room now everything was enormous and useless to him when Mitch heard Willy's voice in the hall. Scurrying over to the door, Mitch pressed close to the sliver of light underneath to see two socked feet walk past.

"Marns? Marns come on. You've been gone long enough; it's getting pathetic how much Matts is moping," There was a pause and then Willy continued a little further away down that hall. "Mitchy? Come on, man. You made your point. Come out or J.T. will yell at me. Marns...?"

Willy's voice drifted even further away and then disappeared completely - useless. Mitch resigned himself to waiting for some other hapless idiot to open the door. The room happened to be a small equipment storage room; so someone had to come by soon or, at least, in the next week. Stationing himself to the side of the door so he wouldn't be squashed, Mitch sat and waited.

Mitch was just starting to drift off, the depressing lack of a coffee and The Change or whatever had clearly worn him out, when the door opened and Brian walked in. The heavy door brushed Mitch's clothes away from sight and Brain didn't even notice as Mitch deke'd past his lorry-sized shoes to freedom.

Turned out freedom _sucked_.

The hallway was mind-boggling to Mitch as he looked around the enormous space; freezing him in place just outside the door. Everything seemed to echo eerily and the overhead lights buzzed away, a clatter further up the hall made Mitch jump and he spun around to begin his trek to the locker room. Fuck that noise.

Mitch found that he made it to the locker room relatively quickly despite now moving for four decidedly shorter legs than his own - plus, there were fucking _four_ ! - and glanced inside. Keeping to the shadow of the door, Mitch could see a dejected Willy - fuck him, he probably cursed this mess into being with his Nordic voodoo shit - nodding along to whatever Matts and Kappy were saying. The other guys around the room were talking and slowly getting ready for the practice in their stalls; no one seemed to be paying any attention to him being literally _missing_ . He could be dead for all they knew, he wasn't and it was unlikely he would have been murdered in the Leafs' own barn but they could at least _notice_.

Having reached his destination, Mitch was stumped on what he should do next to approach the situation. It wasn't like he could go up and just _tell_ them he was now… something else. Who would believe that? It just _didn't_ happen but, clearly, it did because here he fucking was. Out of ideas, Mitch pressed into the wall a little tighter and edged closer to try and overhear what the guys were saying.

It was the wrong move.

Maybe he wasn't stealthy enough or slow enough to avoid detection but one minute he was ninja-ing across the room and the next the room was filled with rather unbecoming screams. Mitch was going to personally see to it that Mo never lived down how loudly he'd screamed at the sight of a-

"MOUSE! Get it, kill it," Mo was off the floor in a flash and balanced on the bench as he continued yelling.

Mitch had frozen as the ruckus broke out but the sight of Hyms and his cruise liner sized shoes coming towards him made him spring into action. His new body had come along with some brand new instincts - thank _God_ or Mitch would probably be roadkill - and he streaked across the locker room towards safety. Of course, safety turned out to be Auston fucking Matthews. Thanks, survival instincts, you suck.

Luckily, Auston didn't move - while Willy and Kap scattered like a bunch of chickens - and Mitch flung his furry self towards Auston's leg, quickly climbing the fabric of his joggers. Mitch couldn't help but think to himself as he ascended, a bit hysterical, this was not what he meant when he thought about climbing Auston like a tree. Fuck. His. Life.

Mitch only needed to make it to Auston's hip before a large hand carefully cupped underneath him and lifted him the rest of the way. If he wasn't genuinely scared for his life Mitch might have found it endearing how gently Auston was being but, as it was, Mitch could feel his heart hammering in his rib cage as Auston peered down at him.

"Hello little fella. How did you get in here?"

It was stupid, so very, _very_ stupid but Mitch had opened his mouth to reply because it made perfect sense that human words would just flow forth to explain his situation. They didn't and he couldn't but, still, Mitch had _tried_. Despite his attempts, all he got for his efforts was a lousy squeak and the guys cooing at him.

"Shame Marns is out sulking and missing this," Freddie chuckled as he headed over. "One Mickey Mouse meeting another. Epic."

Mitch considered biting the probing finger Freddie was sticking towards his nose but Auston batted the goaltender's hand away before Mitch could make his move. Mitch was considering going after Freddie's finger anyway, just to prove he could, but the small cup of Auston's palm was pretty comfortable. Settling down into the heat from Auston's hand the stress of the situation finally, and illogically, began to melt out of Mitch's body. Auston Matthews was not some magical solution but Mitch's body didn't seem to care as he curled up happily.

Auston's face suddenly grew bigger as he leaned closer and Mitch couldn't help turning to look into the big eyes now observing him carefully. Mitch felt his ears and nose beginning to twitch as he studied Auston and the other man studied him back. It was weird to see Auston looking at him and not see a single spark of recognition in his gaze, or that small smile tugging at his lips.

"Decided you wanted a bit of the action?" Auston continued in a soft voice. "I would be interested too. Everything must seem so big and confusing to you, huh?"

 _You don't know the half of it_ , Mitch thought bitterly. He did make a quick mental note, for when he was human again - because he _would_ be, to ask Auston when he had learned he grew a vagina around small and fluffy animals. That would be prime chirpsing material for weeks.

There was a slight jolt of movement and Mitch realised Auston was sitting down in his stall. Everything felt so much _more_ when you were tiny, the simple movement down had felt almost like freefall for a second. Mitch dug his claws in for stability and was up and on his feet as soon as Auston held still again. A small grimace appeared on Auston's face from the sharp pin-pricks but it passed quickly and Mitch sniffed gently at the soft skin in apology.

Auston murmured reassurance under his breath and smiled down at Mitch before resting his hand down against his thigh. After making sure Auston wasn't going to move again, Mitch took his time sniffing around the place, sticking mostly to Auston's hands and - _killer_ \- thighs. Once satisfied there were no other threats and he felt the old familiarity of the room flowing back, Mitch gazed around at the crowd of players watching him intensely. Had there always been that many? Had they always been so damn _big_? And ugly?

After a few moments of staring and sniffing, sniffing and staring, the crowd of watching eyes hovering above him became uncomfortable; Mitch's skin prickling with an awareness of the scrutiny on him. He tried to escape the weight of the gazes by tucking himself in between Auston's arm and stomach; heart racing with the potential dangers that came with being watched.

"Their ugly mugs scaring you?" Auston tutted and scooped Mitch back up into his big hands, fingers of one hand curling protectively around Mitch's small body, and a single finger from his other hand petted between his ears.

"Guys, clear out and give him some space," Willy took charge and ordered the team away while claiming the neighboring stall for himself to peer down at Mitch again.

There was some grumbling as people spread out a little but kept a close eye. Auston's gentle stroking was beginning to settle Mitch again and he could feel his eyes drooping from the weight of staying awake. It felt kind of nice to be cocooned so completely in the steady hold and Auston was being so damn gentle it was hard to stay alert. Plus, he was _still_ lacking a morning coffee.

"What do we do with him?" Freddie broke the silence with a near whisper.

"We could release him outside," Auston suggested, still softly running a single finger over Mitch's fur but he couldn't help tensing. They couldn't chuck him out, he didn't know the first thing about surviving as a tiny creature.

"Are you crazy?" Hollsy spluttered. "He could be injured, or sick, or confused. We can't just release him."

Mitch had never been more grateful for Hollsy opening his mouth. _Ever_. If the others thought of sending him on his way Mitch would make sure to make a beeline back to Hollsy, at least he would be looked after until he turned back that way. He was also considering putting on a limp to help his cause when Auston hummed thoughtfully and lifted Mitch up for a closer look.

"He seems fine to me."

"I wasn't aware you had a degree in veterinary science Matthews but, _sure_ , he's probably fine."

"All right, Hollsy," Willy quickly broke in to stop the heated voices rising any further. "We get it. You don't wanna release him."

"Do you know how many birds of prey make their homes in cities now? How easily he would be plucked off the street? We live in an urban jungle, man, the poor little guy wouldn't stand a chance."

" _No_?" Willy frowned at Holl in exasperation. "of course I don't know that shit. Why do you?"

"It was on National Geographic," Hollsy muttered. "Either way, it wouldn't be right to just turn him out. It would be practically murder."

Mitch gulped and nestled back into Auston's fingers. That definitely sounded bad, he couldn't take the risk.

"It's _just_ a mouse, man."

"Hollsy maybe going a bit hard," Auston shrugged and glanced up at Willy. "But I agree. I don't want to throw the little guy out."

"His little mousey family might be here too." Freddie chimed in childishly.

"MORE? There might be _more_ of them?!"

"Stop screeching, Mo," Kappy snapped and threw a roll of tape at the other player. "It's just a fucking mouse."

"A mouse that might be carrying diseases."

Mitch bristled at the insult. He had never, human or rodent, carried diseases that Mo should be worrying out. Well… there had been that one time but only Willy knew and the story wasn't fun or sexy so they had both sworn each other to secrecy. Mo needed to shut his damn mouth.

"Like what?" Willy scoffed.

"Uh, like the _plague_ , for one."

"Seriously Mo? Because, yeah, this one specific mouse is really going to give you a centuries-old disease."

"It _might_."

"You might not live long enough to find out either way if you don't shut up," J.T. interjected sternly, finally whipping out The Captain Voice to take control. "All of you."

"But-" Mo seemed to deflate under their captain's glare and rubbed at the back of his head sheepishly.

"It's just a mouse, we've all seen one before. Matts, drop it; someone find Marns, and let's get to practice which is - in case anyone had forgotten - the whole point of why we're here."

"Did anyone see where he came from?" Auston looked around the room hopefully. "Maybe he can find his own way back home."

"He came in through the door," Willy shrugged.

"He might get stepped on in the hallway… maybe I could-"

"For God's sake Matthews," J.T. scolded and rubbed at his forehead in irritation. "Just put it down, it'll probably run away as soon as it can."

Austin hesitated but then leaned down to place his hand flat on the ground, fingers open and ready for Mitch to make a break for it. Which he wasn't going to do because Auston meant safety and a chance at getting _himself_ back. Mitch kept himself firmly planted on Auston's palm and didn't move an inch as everyone waited with bated breath.

"Maybe Hollsy's right and there's something wrong with him," Kappy offered when a few moments had passed without Mitch moving.

"Probably fell in love with Matts," Willy laughed. "I'm never insulting that mustache again if it gets you so much attention. Shame it doesn't work on the Mickey Mouse you actually want, huh?"

Auston didn't reply but Mitch could definitely spot a hint of a flush on the other man's cheeks. What was that about? Auston wanted a mouse, or was it a code word? He was looking between Willy and Auston; trying to gauge what was going on when something bumped against his back and scared the life out of him.

Mitch whipped around to see Auston was trying to gently nudge Mitch off his hand. Well, that wouldn't do. Hoping to catch the other off guard, not expecting a mouse to possess professional hockey levels of ninja skills, Mitch leaped over the wall of fingers and tucked himself into the sleeve of Auston's hoodie.

"Fuck- just- just help me out here for a little-"

Auston's frustrated growl was cut off as Mitch wormed his way further up the sleeve. There was a sudden jolting movement upwards and then something firm was beneath his paws under the fabric. Mitch only had a second to celebrate before he was being squeezed out of the sleeve like icing onto a cupcake. As soon as his head breached the end of the sleeve, and Mitch could see the guilty look on Auston's face, he twisted and desperately sunk his teeth into the cuff. Hopefully, Auston already felt bad enough about evicting him that he wouldn't literally _rip_ Mitch off.

"Looks like he wants to stick around," Willy bit his lip to try and quiet his laughter at Auston's struggle. "What's he gonna do during practice? I don't think we have a stick that small."

"As if he would even be able to move it," Freddie cut back. "The puck probably weighs more than he does."

"You could wear him on your shoulder like a pirate with his parrot," Hyms teased.

"Yeah, or he could guard the puck by sitting on it and biting at opposition sticks," Kappy joined in, nearly bouncing on his feet with excitement.

"That would only work until he played the Bruins and one of them creamed his brains against the boards."

Mitch froze as the quiet words of a psychopath plunged the room into silence. Mitch could feel himself shiver as he imagined a big Bruins' slapshot heading straight for him and sending him flying. 

"What the fuck, Soup?" Willy, and everyone else in the room, rounded on the previously quiet man with a disgusted glare.

"That's dark, man," Freddie agreed. "Everything alright at home? Did Mumma Mikheyev kill your pet mouse as a child?"

"Fuck off," Soup hunched over in his stall. "I'm just saying."

"Well don't, jeez... I'm traumatized," Willy overacted a full-body shudder. "That's actually sick."

Mitch closed his eyes and took a deep, centering breath. He was surrounded by idiots. Mitch was certain if he still had human features he would have stuck each and every one of them with a death glare - especially Soup. There was something wrong with them. They were just ridiculous enough that Mitch found himself instinctively looking over his shoulder and up at Auston. The other man just happened to be looking down and Mitch imagined they shared a 'can you believe them?' look before he shook his head in exasperation. It was more for his own benefit than an actual attempt at communicating but it got a second, startled, look from Auston and then a wide-eyed fear that had Mitch thinking. _Maybe_...

Mitch reluctantly slid off of Auston's thighs - they really were an amazing place to sit; he'd have to fight off this _other mouse_ for them, damn - and dodged grabbing hands in order to scurry along the stalls. He had a mission now because if Auston could see a headshake then maybe he could be pushed over into seeing the truth. He quickly arrived in his own stall and looked around for something useful in signaling to the others that he was, in fact, a rodent Mitchell Marner.

He was probably fucked.

"Finally, it's leaving for- umm… what's it doing?" Mo asked suspiciously and everyone's attention was once again on Mitch as he moved around.

There was a shifting in the room behind him as the team all followed him around the room but he ignored it in favour of more concentrated searching. What could he use? A pen to write out his name? He wasn't even sure he remembered how to write so that was out. Sit right in front of his name badge for a while? The team was probably not crazy enough to make that kind of connection, no matter how many bumps to the head they'd all had.

"See! I guess it takes a mouse to know one," Willy cackled gleefully before pausing and looking around. "Seriously, where is Mitch? He's missing pure gold right now."

"He did seem rather intent to get there, for a mouse, I mean. I'll give it to you though," Auston agreed and Mitch would have rolled his eyes if he was able. "Not sure Mitchy would be as happy to have a mouse crawling around in his stuff as you clearly are."

Instead of eye-rolling, Mitch darted towards a Leafs hat that he had left on the seat and wiggled his way beneath the brim. It was dark and smelled slightly stale but Mitch had a plan. A sort of plan. A shaky outline of a plan. A vague awareness of an almost plan. Whatever he was desperate and it would have to be enough.

Mitch tried to push forward to the front of the hat but he had underestimated just how much smaller he had become. The hat wasn't really a hat anymore as much as it was a rentable apartment. Mitch's earlier 'idea' of wearing that hat was gone when he pressed against the hat wall and the whole thing slid across the bench with him.

"Ha! He's a Leafs fan," Freddie laughed, several others joining. "Might need a child's size though."

"He could be looking for a new nest or nesting materials," Hollsy explained, and, this time, Mitch did roll his eyes because who knew the man was such a nerd.

"Are you stuck, little buddy?" Auston called out.

Mitch bumped his head against the hat once more before the whole thing was lifted up and away to reveal the grinning faces of his teammates; even Mo had appeared to warm up to the idea of a pet project. Auston held the hat so it was hovering over Mitch but definitely out of reach and his face looked so painfully sappy and fond it would make a human Mitch blush. The one pro of his currently furred state was that he wasn't acting like such a bumbling idiot in front of the other man, that much anyway. He also couldn't demand who this other Mickey Mouse he apparently wanted was, why was it bugging him so much? He needed to concentrate.

The hat was a no go. Mitch looked around for more options, his jersey was hanging in the stall; he could… point? Maybe? There was no way it was going to work but Mitch was a desperate man, mouse, mouse-man. Standing up, on his back legs, Mitch stretched out a paw and pointed up at the letters before sitting back and watching his team expectantly.

"Did it just… fucking point?" Freddie choked and stared down at Mitch, up to the jersey and back again. "It didn't, did it?"

"It might have- no," Willy shook his head but still looked a little uncertain. "Don't be silly."

"Probably not," Hollsy agreed. "Just sniffing about most likely."

"Unless he does it again," Auston suggested and it sounded like he was asking for proof so Mitch rose up on his legs and pointed his little paw as hard as he fucking could to give him some damn proof.

"No way…" Willy sounded shell shocked. "That mouse is pointing."

"More than that. It knows _English_." Freddie added.

"That's just not-"

"Mitchy?"

Auston's quiet question cut through the other mens' clamouring and disbelief like a gunshot. Everyone was still for a moment as they watched Auston like he was crazy and then slowly, oh so slowly, turned to Mitch with looks of horror.

"Don't be stupid, Matts," Willy argued back, a definite hysterical note making his voice higher than usual.

"I know," Auston shot back, his voice shaking just as bad as the hand he reached out towards Mitch. "I know it's stupid and ridiculous and completely impossible but- I don't know…"

As soon as Auston's hand was in range, Mitch sped over to it and rubbed against his fingers in greeting and confirmation. It was him, he was there, and he also just happened to be a mouse.

"It really is you, right Marns?" Auston asked gently and the barely-there words made a storm of emotion rise in Mitch's chest. He wanted desperately to comfort Auston but what could he do? Hug his pinkie finger?

"Fuck…" Willy cursed empathetically and Mitch couldn't have agreed more. "What do we do now?"

"Do?" Kappy asked skeptically, still keeping a watchful eye on Mitch.

"Yeah, like how do we get him back? _Do_ we get him back? How long will it take to-"

"Tell me you hear how crazy you sound right now Willy? Please? That's _not_ Mitch."

"It _is_. He pointed at his name."

Mitch could feel the doubt beginning to settle around the room and he wasn't about to let the momentum slow. As they argued, he hurried to the edge of his stall seat to begin writing out his name with his path, stepping carefully and precisely so the movement could be taken as nothing else but the letters of his name.

"Of course it's not-" Mitch was about to scurry horizontally to cross off the 't' when Kappy cut himself off and started laughing hysterically. "Shit. It's Mitch. That mouse… is _Mitch_."

"How can it be Mitch? That is totally impossible," J.T. threw his hands up in anger and made to get closer to Mitch but Auston and Kappy got in his way. "What are you doing?"

"It's Mitch, Captain. Whatever else is going on, that mouse is Mitch."

"Kap-"

"No, listen. We somehow all knew it was a he but the last I checked none of us knew how to sex a mouse at five paces - well, maybe except Hollsy, apparently."

"Yeah, and he's been clinging to Matts the _entire_ time. Which is exactly the same as Marns' normal M.O," Willy supplied helpfully.

"He's not scared either," Auston added, watching Mitch carefully as if waiting for confirmation. "He understands us; he knows us."

"Fine, if that's _really_ Marns," J.T. leaned over and looked down at Mitch with a smile similar to that you would use on a madman when talking about aliens. "Then I'm sure he won't mind jumping twice; spinning clockwise and then jumping again."

"Maybe he can throw in some fucking jazz hands too," Willy snarked. "He's a _mouse_ , J.T., maybe he can't do that stuff anymore."

"We'll see."

J.T. looked so damn smug, the idiot, that Mitch gritted his teeth and began to ready up. He didn't really know what his new body was capable of doing but jumping and spinning he could probably work out. Heading into the center of the stall seat, Mitch could feel a hush fall over the locker room and he looked over at Auston once for courage before starting.

He followed each instruction perfectly and watched with satisfaction as J.T.'s grin fell away into horrified embarrassment. When he finished his last jump, Mitch reared back onto his back legs and waved his front paws around desperately which made J.T. choke.

"Finished with jazz hands," Freddie whispered. "Nice."

"Well, fuck me," J.T. announced to no one in particular and moved away to sit at his own stall, face looking pale and sweaty.

"Mitch? What happened? How… _how_?" Auston sunk to his knees so he was sitting level with Mitch on the beach, Kappy and Willy sitting down on either side as well. All three wore the same looks of concern.

Mitch could only blink back at them. What did they expect? That he would waste so much time trying to show them it was him and then just rattle off an explanation about what was happening? That would be so stupid, it was almost something Mitch could do. A nice game of rodent charades before getting to business.

"Right… you're a mouse... _and_ mice don't speak," Auston looked at the others with dread. "What do we do then?"

"We're gonna need to find a small enough stick," Willy seemed dazed as he spoke.

Everyone groaned and Mo slapped the back of Willy's head but couldn't hold in his chuckle. They didn't have time to continue the conversation before Keefe appeared in the door and not so gently reminded them they were meant to be at practice ten minutes ago and no one was even dressed yet.

Mitch had watched in slight fascination as everyone scrambled to get ready and Auston cobbled together a story about Mitch being sick to keep Keefe from questioning his absence. The faster players began to stream out down the tunnel and Mitch realised he was probably going to be left in the locker room if he didn't make a move. Heading back along the bench, he arrived at Auston's stall just in time to jump onto his glove. Auston paused for a moment and then shrugged.

"Alright, but you keep a low profile. I don't want you getting hurt."

Mitch had agreed and hunkered down into the glove to stay hidden as Auston made his way onto the ice. It was colder in the rink than Mitch had been expecting and he almost regretted coming, not as much muscle and fat to keep him warm anymore. Before he could abort and signal he wanted back in the warm locker room Auston had covertly placed him on the bench with a quiet command to _'stay-put'_ before skating off to begin warm-up and drills.

Midway through practice, Mitch had taken to prowling up and down the wall in front of the bench like a jungle cat. This whole thing would have been a hell of a lot cooler if he'd turned into a tiger or a leopard instead of a common brown mouse; then he could have mauled Willy in retaliation for causing it. Probably. He had definitely been tempting fate with the stupid nickname. Instead of the mauling he imagined, Mitch sulked up to Willy's bottle and tried to shove it over the edge. The damn thing didn't even budge and Mitch scampered away in embarrassment, praying nobody had noticed but, from Auston's sharp laugh across the ice, he clearly hadn't been successful.

With nothing to do other than watch the guys play with a deep longing, Mitch found himself tucked in a corner and thinking. He was glad the other guys knew; they would try to help in any way they could but, at the end of the day, it was still _him_ that was trapped as a mouse. He had to find a way to turn himself back. Casting his mind back over the day proved fruitless as nothing stood out, he had felt fine all of yesterday and that morning; definitely, no indication of this, whatever _this_ was.

His thoughts settled back on the nickname. It had to have something to do with it if only he could work out what. It was about a mouse; he was now a mouse so it all added up. The perfect conclusion of logic but it still made no sense.

The nickname had been first given to him in childhood, a homage to his eternal smile and love of Disney. The matching alliteration of both the names had just made it stick even harder, like old gum on the bottom of new shoes. Mitch sighed, he never _used_ to mind but that was before he'd been scrutinized over and over again for being too small. He wasn't small by any standard and he could take a hit like the best of them but his body's ability to shed pounds like nobody's business always gained bad press. It had been bad enough when it was just because he was _small_ but now he was literally a mouse.

To make matters worse, as if turning into an animal wasn't even torture for one day, there was now some other 'Mickey Mouse' getting Auston's attention. He'd show this imposter who was boss and Auston would have to realise Mitch was the OG, the one he should want. Whoever this other mouse was, they couldn't be all that great since Mitch had never heard of them; as far as he knew he was the only one with that moniker in Auston's life. He was definitely the mouse Auston liked best anyway.

 _Oh_.

Mitch paused and looked over at Auston with a tilt of his head. It would make more sense if there wasn't another Mickey Mouse conveniently involved in Auston's life and it was, in fact, him. If Auston was into him, then, fucking great; Mitch could even forgive the coffee thing if it meant getting everything else.

The warm, bubbly feeling in his chest made the whole morning seem a little less shit as Mitch watched Auston racing across the ice and sniping one past Freddie. Yeah, definitely going to tap that. Mitch was barely suppressing a happy little strut along the wall when he spotted Willy skating over to Auston for another drill and he remembered.

Willy had _known_ . He'd teased Auston and Mitch had overhead - it sucked he'd been a mouse while doing so and couldn't kiss the socks off Auston without it being fucking _weird_ \- but, Willy _had_ known. That seemed worse than not being able to jump Austin, almost. He could understand Auston talking to someone else first like Hyms or maybe getting advice from Marleau; even Freddie at a push but Willy was a disaster. Mitch considered the fact that Willy might have just been teasing about how co-dependent they were, it _was_ mentioned quite a bit, but it seemed unlikely now Mitch knew what he was looking for. The touches and glances and smiles. How had he missed all that? Probably because he'd always turned away in fear of being caught looking like a dopey fool himself.

Big, gay revelation made, Mitch sat and watched the others without any real focus. He now had two problems. How to turn back to his usual self and, now, how to get the truth out of Auston so they could get down to the dirty. Both issues were too big and uncertain for his rodent brain to handle and, when his heart began to pound violently, Mitch pushed the thoughts from his mind and curled up for a nap. There wasn't much else he could do, he justified to himself, and he still hadn't had his coffee; so a nap would be just fine.

Mitch was awoken sometime later as hushed whispers tickled his ears; making them twitch. Sitting up, he rubbed at his face to help himself wake up; instinctively moving up to fluff his hair as well. The sound of cooing jerked him back into his immediate surroundings to see a crowd of faces looking down at him.

Groggy from his nap, and now cornered by towering humans, Mitch let his new nature take over. Shoving himself back into a corner, so no one could sneak up on him, Mitch opened his mouth to show off his large front teeth and let out deep, angry squeaks to warn them off. They seemed to not get the message as they stayed pressed in close; looking around at each other gormlessly. The longer they stayed still the more Mitch's breath picked up and his squeaks turned raspy as his desperation set in. He knew the guys wouldn't hurt him but he was so helpless now and it stressed him out.

Eventually, Mitch started pacing back and forth in his corner, looking for a way out to escape the stares. It was just as he was considering making a break for it to hide in a mound of clothes that a large finger appeared in his vision. Startled, Mitch lashed out quickly and then sprinted back at the loud shout of pain. He got himself ensconced in the nest of clothes he'd been eyeing, relaxing as he was hidden from the intense gazes, and turned to see what he'd done.

"What the fuck, Mitchy?" Willy wailed, holding his bleeding finger out to Mitch like an accusation.

"You threatened him," Hollsy tutted and knelt down next to Mitch. "Don't poke things at skittish animals, _especially_ your fingers."

"Yeah, but that's _Mitch_. I didn't think he'd turn rabid."

"He's not, _believe me_ , you'd know a rabid animal. He's got a new body; maybe he's got new instincts to go with it."

"If I can't play because of this mortal injury, I'm spiking your cheese," Willy grumbled and wandered off.

Mitch twitched his whiskers as he watched Willy leave. He felt a little bad but it probably wasn't that bad and it really wasn't like Mitch had _wanted_ to bite him, it had just happened. The other guys that were still gathered around watched him silently, a new cautious edge to their stances, and Mitch couldn't help puffing up his chest in response.

Being out in the open again, even with the 'don't fuck with me' vibes he now had, didn't feel great; so, Mitch looked around for a better vantage point. It looked like he was in Auston's stall, the other man's glove lay nearby to where Mitch now stood, and Auston was sitting just beyond that - half undressed and watching Mitch carefully. Assuming Auston had brought Mitch back to the locker room and therefore placed him in the stall himself, Mitch thought it was probably okay to be in the other man's space. Mitch scurried over to press himself against Auston's thigh and lavished in the strength and warmth he found there.

"Well, that answers one question, I think," Hyms chuckled.

Mitch looked up at him curiously but the other man had already turned to head for his stall. Perturbed at the possibility of the others discussing things without him - only bad things came from his teammates thinking, Mitch turned to Auston with what he hoped was an unamused face and waited.

"We were just talking about what we would do now. Like who would take you with them for the day and other stuff."

"I don't know why there was ever any discussion," Willy shouted from the shower room where he'd disappeared to clean his bite. "He's obviously going with you."

Auston glared at the doorway but shook his head. "It's up to you, Mitch."

"Unlikely," Willy snorted, finally returning. "Even if he didn't want to go with you, you'd probably follow anyone else home to make sure they were doing everything right."

"It's up to you, Mitch," Auston repeated firmly. "Just, like, jump or something if you want to come with me."

Mitch wasn't particularly in the mood for more acrobatics; so he headbutted Auston's thigh and settled even tighter against the muscle. A few of the guys laughed but no one had a comment to share; instead, everyone continued to change into street clothes. Mitch mourned the loss of a sightline to Auston's chest as a shirt and hoodie were put on but he consoled himself by knowing he'd have the whole rest of the day to spend with Auston.

The guys began to trail out pretty quickly - most preoccupied with lunch plans - and offered solemn well wishes to Mitch before heading out the door. Auston was one of the last as he packed up his clothes and Mitch briefly wondered about his clothes still sitting in the equipment cupboard, hopefully, they'd still be there when he could go and collect them - whenever that would be.

"Hey, Matts."

Mitch turned his attention from the wonderful curve of Auston's ass to survey a nervous-looking Mo. Mo was sending cautious glances right back at Mitch as he shifted from foot to foot; throwing a small food packet between his hands.

"Mo? You heading out?"

"Yeah, I just- uh… I have some instant porridge that I keep in my bag. I dunno what mice eat but maybe oats are good? You think?"

Auston looked between Mo and Mitch quickly before accepting the bag with an easy smile. Mitch's attention immediately caught on the small bag and the powdery smell that floated from it. It smelled _good_.

"I'm sure they'll be fine and it saves me stopping somewhere to get pet food or something."

Mo smiled back in relief. "Oh, good. I'll let you get on then."

"Bye, man."

"I'll see you two."

Mo disappeared with a quick wave over his shoulder while Auston turned to tuck the bag of oats away and then finish getting dressed. Mitch watched the other man silently as he methodically packed up and then bit his lip in thought; staring into his open bag blankly. Finally, Auston seemed to come back to himself and zipped up the bag; he turned to Mitch with a half-smile.

"Ready to go?"

Mitch didn't really know how to indicate his readiness, or unreadiness as the case may be, so he scampered closer and waited. Auston seemed to take it as a positive sign and scooped Mitch up to slide him into the kangaroo pocket of his hoodie.

At first, the stretch of the flimsy fabric beneath his feet was disconcerting but Mitch decided it was probably like a hammock; it was unlikely his small weight would break the seams. Curling up against the warmth of Auston's stomach, Mitch hoped Auston wouldn't let him be carelessly squashed by some bags or an impromptu hug from someone. They made it through the arena without incident, just Auston calling out farewells to various staff members, and headed out into the car park.

The sudden wash of cold air knocked the last bit of drowsiness out of Mitch's system and he wriggled forward to catch sight of the world passing by. Auston was hustling towards his car and Mitch enjoyed the rollercoaster-like movement.

Auston dumped his bags in the boot and climbed into the driver's seat with a sigh. Once he was settled, he dipped his hand into the pocket, and Mitch climbed on. As soon as his head was cleared of the pocket edge Mitch could feel his heart begin to flutter in excitement. There were nooks and crannies all over the vehicle, dark openings and deep pockets, that looked perfect to hide in; to explore and scent. It wasn't even a conscious decision before he was flying off Auston's hand and streaking along the dashboard.

"Wait, Mitch, what the-" Auston scrambled forward to try and catch him but Mitch had already moved on to investigate the passenger side vents at the far side of the cab. "Mitch, come on. How would I explain to the guys that I lost you in my own car."

Mitch paused and looked over at Auston. His ears twitched in amusement at the thought. The slight hesitation was all Auston needed, his fingers had curled around Mitch's body before he even realised Auston was moving. He was dumped into the central cup holder and Auston pushed him back in every time he tried to scramble out.

"Stay put for a second," Auston begged, already opening his door. "I've got an idea."

Curiosity got the better of him and Mitch watched as Auston jogged around the car to begin searching the boot for something. There was the sound of zippers and a plastic crinkling before Auston was slamming the boot shut and running back around. He swung himself into the cab with a happy smile and didn't even close the door before he was brandishing something in Mitch's face.

It took a second for Mitch to realise what was in front of him and it took another second for his mouth to flood with drool. The oats in Auston's had suddenly held the appeal of every single diet plan restricted item Mitch craved. A deep urge settled in his chest, seeming alien and as though it came from somewhere other than himself, his brain was overridden by the need to eat; to gather and store away; to prepare for this unknown _thing_ that was coming where he would need the extra supplies.

It was like the oats had been placed on a conveyor belt, as soon as one was in his mouth the next was ready and waiting. Mitch stuffed oat after oat into his mouth; squeaking loudly whenever Auston tried to draw away and take the oats with him. Eventually, the small pile was gone and Mitch began to sniff around Auston's palm for more, there had to be more. Mitch had definitely seen Mo hand over a whole bag so Auston had better cough up the goods.

"Okay, okay. I got you," Auston chuckled.

He grabbed another handful from the bag that had, apparently, magically appeared in his lap and dropped it into the cupholder with Mitch. Diving on the oats, Mitch didn't even pay attention to Auston laughing and starting the car until the rumbling of the engine was vibrating through his body. The deep shaking, added to by the sound system speakers, caught Mitch's attention as it moved up his sensitive whiskers and made everything buzz with energy.

Mitch had just finished his lunch with a moving view, it was oddly calming to watch the tops of buildings pass the windshield as he gazed up from the cupholder, when they pulled up to Auston's place. Auston flitted around gathering all the bags and then leaned in to help Mitch back into his pouch. As soon as they were inside the apartment, Auston deposited Mitch on a cushion in the living room and stood watching him. Mitch watched Auston back as the other man gazed around the room with his hands on his hips.

"Don't. Move," Auston instructed, pointing his finger at Mitch to empathise the words.

Mitch settled down as Auston disappeared from the room and returned a few moments with a folded up newspaper.

"I looked it up online earlier," Auston explained. "Mice like to burrow and newspaper was one of the options for bedding so…"

Mitch watched Auston pull apart the broadsheet and placed one large page on the sofa beside Mitch. At first, he just looked the page over; almost wondering if he should read it when, just like before, a deep urge rose in his chest. Hopping over to the edge, Mitch began tearing the paper into small sections and placing them around the pillow. He worked industriously, getting lost in putting each scrap in the perfect position until the small nest was complete. Sitting back to contemplate it, Mitch jumped when he spotted Auston watching from one of the other chairs.

"Are you done?" Auston paused before huffing to himself and shaking his head. "Right, you're a mouse. So… would you like more oats and then we can settle down?"

Mitch really liked that idea so he hopped around happily before situating himself in his new nest. Auston placed a handful of oats on the pillow, just in reach of the nest, and then settled on the other side of the sofa.

"TV?"

This time Auston didn't wait for a reply as he reached for the remote and turned on some highlights from another game. Mitch probably should have been paying attention but he was busy stuffing his face with oats and adjusting his newspaper scraps when they were ruffled.

His stomach was soon full; so Mitch turned his attention to the television. The sound was just too low for Mitch to really focus on it past the sleepy feeling clouding his mind. Mitch carefully edged himself forward in his nest so he could watch the screen without needing to strain and curled up in contentment.

When Mitch woke up, he was still curled up in his make-shift nest but the room was dark. The television played quietly across the room and cast odd coloured shadows along the walls.

Mitch picked his way out of the newspaper cuttings and looked around. Auston was passed out on the sofa beside him, a blanket falling off his sprawling legs and spit gathering at the sides of his mouth. He looked gross as he snorted away but there was something so peaceful about the sight that Mitch found his heart-melting from it.

Mitch watched Auston sleeping until his own eyes began to droop again. He was still tired but the thought of returning to his crinkly bed wasn't that appealing. Especially not when the warm hoodie Auston had on looked much, _much_ better. Mitch carefully picked his way around the newspaper and dropped off his pillow. The battered sofa was a little treacherous to cross, rips and dips tripping Mitch in the near darkness but he eventually made it to Auston's side in one piece.

Sniffing around a little, Mitch found Auston's arm flung out to the side; creating a perfect ramp for Mitch to climb up onto his large chest. Not wasting any time, Mitch scrambled up the loose fabric and pattered across the covered muscles to Auston's stomach. He was just settling down into the entrance of the pocket when Auston's voice rumbled through the room.

"Marns? What're you doing?"

Mitch looked up the length of Auston's body to see the other man's neck craned around to see him. He took a moment to wonder how much Auston could see in the darkness and just held still as Auston's big hands traced along his stomach until he brushed against Mitch's fur. Auston's hands jumped back in shock at the touch and then gingerly began to stroke a single finger over his back.

"Alright, you can stay," Auston hummed, putting his head back down. "But only for a little, I don't want to squash you in my sleep."

Mitch twisted his head around so he could bump his nose against Auston's finger in understanding and then settled down in the warm cavern. Auston continued to stroke his back but, after a while, even that stopped and they fell deep into sleep.

Mitch wasn't sure what woke him for the second time that night but the warmth underneath him didn't really inspire him to wake up enough to find out. He was just slipping off again, content and incredibly comfortable, when the shaking of his body grew more insistent. The grip on his shoulders was almost painful as he was snapped back and forth.

"Mitch? Mitch, wake up! Holy fuck. Mitch. Mitch!"

"What?" Mitch grumbled and pushed himself to sit up a bit.

He was still sprawled mostly over Auston, even with the little bit of space now between them. Mitch's head had obviously been resting on Auston's shoulder while their legs had tangled together; allowing Auston to curl around Mitch on the couch. Mitch sandwiched between the cushions and Auston's warm body, face to face and plastered together as they slept.

Looking up and down Auston's body, Mitch couldn't immediately see the reason for Auston's freak out. If he was honest with himself, the sight made him want to snuggle back down and sleep more; not loudly shout like Auston had decided to do. Mitch raised a curious eyebrow at the other and waited for an explanation but Auston just sat staring at him.

Mitch began to feel something shift in his mind as he watched Auston in confusion. They were just sitting and staring at each other on the sofa, eyes level as they just looked and Mitch waited. He was about to give in and just ask but it all slammed into him at once.

He was big.

More than that he was _human_.

Mitch brought a shaking hand up in front of his face and barked out a shock of laughter as he saw the five digits and not a hair in sight. Quickly checking his other hand and for a while, Mitch sat just staring at his hands; watching the light play off them. It felt like the whole world paused as Mitch looked and looked and _looked_. Until it suddenly wasn't enough.

Mitch sprang to his feet and began deliriously patting at his body, twisting each way to see _everything_ all at once. Face, shoulders, arms, waist, butt, and thighs. He couldn't stop touching every new part he saw and laughing to himself in amazement. He was _back_ and _normal_.

"I turned back," Mitch choked out when he finally turned back to Auston. "Aus- I…"

Auston had been sitting, shellshocked, on the sofa as Mitch had pranced around the living room but he sprung to his feet as soon as their eyes met. Mitch shivered as Auston's strong arms enveloped him and tugged him close.

"Thank _fuck_ ," Auston whispered into Mitch's hair.

"Yeah."

Mitch pressed his face into Auston's shoulder; returning the tight squeeze and breathing in the man's scent. There was a sharp stinging in his eyes as Mitch felt himself sinking into the embrace. His breaths began to catch in his lungs at the thought that he might not have had this ever again and then at how grateful he was that he could. He could hug Auston.

Auston seemed to understand Mitch's reaction as he hauled Mitch even closer and just held him. Words of comfort were pressed into his skin as Auston swayed them back and forth until Mitch began to calm down. Mitch kept his head hidden for a few moments after he was back in control and just enjoyed it as he soaked up the comfort Auston was offering.

"It's alright, baby, I'm here for you. Always here for you," Auston continued to mutter and Mitch found himself straining to catch every word. "You really scared the shit out of me, you know? Thought I'd never get you back. I missed you so bad, Mitchy, so bad even though you were right there. But I've got you. I've got you and I'm never letting you go."

Everything else seemed to fall away as Mitch fixated on Auston's words. Mitch knew there was a lot he should be thinking about having _literally_ just turned back into a human after a day of being a _mouse_ , but words he'd heard earlier had joined Auston's, bouncing round and round together in his head. It was stupid but as Mitched eased himself back from Auston's tight hug, he couldn't help but look in his eyes and look for _something_.

"What is it?" Auston's expression immediately shuttered into concern and he ran his gaze over Mitch's body intently. "Is something still wrong? I thought turning back would fix it but if you still feel-"

"I'm fine Aus… I just- I need to ask you something."

"Anything."

"What did Willy mean, back in the locker room; before you knew it was me, about me being… being the wrong mouse?"

"I- Mitch, it's…" Auston pulled away completely and Mitch wrapped his own arms around himself to fight the sudden chill. "It's complicated and- you really weren't meant to find out like this… I just-"

"Is there someone?"

Mitch was extra careful to keep any inflection out of his voice even as his stomach turned to lead in preparation for what came next. There could be all the signs in the world and it could still just be wishful thinking, Mitch hoped it wasn't but it _could_ be. Auston didn't reply straight away and Mitch took the opportunity to really watch the other man, trying to force out answers with his gaze.

"There isn't anyone… not- not yet."

"Yet?"

"Mitch-" Auston sighed deeply. "You've been through a lot; maybe now isn't the best time to talk about this."

"No, this is a perfect time," Mitch interrupted desperately. "Auston, I _need_ to know, now more than ever, if you feel _this_."

"This?"

"This. _Us_. That you're my person."

Auston's mouth opened and closed a few times but no sound immerged. Mitch could feel his heart beginning to prepare for something big and steeled himself for how stupid and sappy and desperate he was going to be if Auston didn't feel the same. _If_.

"I mean it, Aus. You're my person, so… am I- am I your mouse or is that someone else because I- ?"

"Yes," Auston exhaled and cut off Mitch's rambling.

"What?"

"Yes, you're my mouse, my person, my everything. Fuck, Mitchy, you're _it_ for me."

Mitch almost wanted to cringe at the words. They were so dramatic and profound that it didn't seem real but as he looked up at the way Auston watched him all resistance washed away. Maybe they were the right words, what they had was pretty profound in its own way. Maybe. Either way, Mitch couldn't keep the relieved grin off his face as he tugged Auston back into his arms.

"You too. For me too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

The words were barely above a whisper but they seemed to thunder around the room. Auston's breath huffed across Mitch's neck in relief? Happiness? Disbelief? Mitch didn't know but he didn't have much thought to spare as his own swirling emotions churned in his chest.

How long had they both been feeling that? Feeling alone in it? Feeling trapped with it?

Mitch supposed it didn't matter anymore, not when he had Auston in his arms and his life. _He said he wouldn't let you go_ , Mitch's mind supplied happily as he floated in Auston's embrace. He wasn't sure how long they stood there, pressed together, before Auston finally sighed and pulled away. He didn't go far before Mitch was pushing forward to bring their lips together.

It was slow and sleepy and quiet, it seemed to perfectly match the muffled atmosphere around them and the glowing warmth inside Mitch's chest. He let himself get lost, once again, in the feel of being close to Auston.

Auston's hands trailed down Mitch's back and settled on his waist, stroking and soothing, before one restless hand headed back upwards to cup Mitch's cheek. The caresses sent slivers of sensation through Mitch's skin and he hummed into the kiss; his own hands gripping onto Auston's shoulders to ground himself.

Mitch had lost all sense of time once again, he was going to have to do some practicing with Auston so that didn't happen - a lot of practicing - every time they touched. His head felt like cotton wool and everything seemed fuzzy with a mellowness to the point he couldn't pull Auston back in when he shifted away again.

"We have practice tomorrow."

It took Mitch a while to piece meaning to the words but it still didn't make sense. "Yeah? And?"

"And we should get back to sleep before we fall over from exhaustion. It's late."

"But-"

"No 'buts', Mitchy. We have all the time in the world for this but, for now, we both need to sleep."

Mitch wanted to complain. He was a healthy young man that had just found out his incredibly fit teammate returned his inclinations and wanted to act on them, so it was unfair to ask him to just step away and _sleep_. He was about to tell Auston just that but the dim lighting from the telly caught Auston's profile, making everything soft and domestic.

Letting out a sigh, Mitch let the pent up energy drain away. He was still within the edges of sleep, the adrenaline burned off and the long day catching up to him, so it would be easy to surrender to its pull. Especially, if Auston was going to act as his pillow again. Mitch was pretty sure he could convince him even if Auston didn't plan on it; so he grabbed Auston's proffered hand and let himself be led into the bedroom.

If Mitch had felt like he was floating the night before, come morning he was on the fucking moon. He had woken up twisted around Auston, warm and content, and been able to just lay about dozing until the alarm went off. Auston had cut the alarm off quickly; pressed a chaste kiss to Mitch's lips and then wandered off to find them some breakfast.

They had danced around each other as they got ready and Mitch felt like his body was singing with joy by the time they climbed in the car to head to practice. Auston had even allowed Mitch to crank the music a little higher than normal; cracking a smile when he snuck SVDVM's song onto the playlist.

The drive seemed to be over in a blink of an eye but also to last forever, their own little bubble of perfect. Mitch distracted himself with alternatively singing along to the music and watching the buildings slip past; trying to match them with the ones he'd seen yesterday but everything looked different from the new, taller, sightline.

When they arrived at the arena the jovial energy had continued to swirl through Mitch. He walked happily with Auston, chatting and bumping playfully into the other man as they went. The feeling lasted right up until they turned the corner into the locker room and Mitch caught sight of Willy. A wave of deep and irrational anger began to bloom in his chest, wiping out all the good cheer he had built up that morning. It had lightly smoldered in his chest until Willy had turned and noticed him, big stupid smile on his face, and then it exploded.

"Mitchy? You're-"

Willy didn't even get to finish before Mitch was across the room and interrupting the other, Auston following and hovering beside him with a frown.

"YOU!" Mitch bellowed as he pinned Willy to his stall; jabbing a finger into his chest. "I don't know how and I don't know why, but I _know_ this was your fault."

"My fault?" Willy squawked. "How is it my fault?"

"I don't know but that stupid nickname has to be the reason."

"Then blame Hyms, he started it."

"Keep me out of this," Hyms held his hands up in surrender and backed away.

"Traitor," Willy spat out but turned back to Mitch with a pleading look. "I swear I didn't turn you into a mouse, not knowingly."

"Really? So it wasn't all a big joke to you?"

"No! Come on, man, as if I would do that. As if I _could_ do that. It's insane, all of it. You know I wouldn't do that to you, Marns."

Mitch paused and concerned the other man's words. Willy was right but Mitch had been so desperate to blame _someone_ for _something_ it felt odd to just leave it unknown in the back of his mind, dangling and unanswered. However, there was no way he could actually find out, it wasn't as though he could ask Google for this one.

Realising how ridiculous he was being, Mitch relaxed and pulled away from Willy; patting his shoulder in apology. Auston watched him carefully, probably making sure he would be ready for any other outbursts Mitch might make but all the anger had drained out of him. Now he was just confused and frustrated.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry."

"You sure it was the nickname?" Willy asked, his voice more serious than Mitch had ever heard.

"It's the only thing I can think of," Mitch shrugged but Willy only seemed to nod in agreement. The whole thing was crazy, what was a little more crazy sprinkled on top?

"Then we cut it out. If there's even a chance that's what it was, then we don't risk it."

"Thanks Willy," Mitch tried to let the uncertainty fade away, he was human again and everything else was beyond his control so why worry about it?

"You heard the man," Hyms called out to alert the rest of the room. "No more using the mousey nickname for Marns."

"Exactly and if I hear any man in this room call me 'goat' again, I will end their entire career," Gauthier shouted around and gave everyone the stink eye. "No way I'm waking up looking like one of those creepy-eyed motherfuckers. No sir."

The entire room erupted into laughter and Mitch laughed along with them until his stomach hurt. Gauthier seemed to be the only that wasn't amused but Mitch had to agree with him, waking up as a random animal wasn't fun but at least a mouse was better than a goat. The other man continued to shout threats at everyone as they started chirping him and listing other animals that might be a suitable replacement nickname for him.

Mitch had just managed to get his mirth under control when his eyes met Auston's beside him. The look was the same as it had always been and, yet, completely different all at once; it made Mitch flush slightly from the intensity. He jerked his gaze away and fiddled with his gear as the heat continued to deepen on his cheeks.

"Getting flustered from just a look, little mouse?" Auston murmured hotly into his ear, pressing against Mitch's back.

Mitch bit his lip and then turned quickly so he was almost pressed up against Auston's front, chest to chest with bare.y a breath between them. Auston's eyes widened a fraction in surprise before a sultry smirk spread on his lips; he gazed down at Mitch and didn't back away. It felt elicit to be so close in the locker room, so many eyes to catch them, but Mitch pretended to fiddle with some tape; acting as if they were just in deep conversation.

"Maybe," Mitch answered coyly as he trailed a finger along Auston's bicep. "Or maybe I was thinking about how to punish you for calling me that."

"Either way," Auston leaned in dangerously. "I'm looking forward to what happens next."

Auston walked away after that; leaving Mitch standing with the tape hanging uselessly from his fingers. The heat of the other's body was still lingering on him and the memory of his flush fizzled through Mitch's body.

Turning into a mouse yesterday morning had definitely sucked but if he'd known turning _back_ would end up with _this_ , with Auston being his, then he would do it every single time.

Every. Single. Time.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed the story please leave a Kudo and a comment letting me know what you thought and if there's anything you would like to see in the future.
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


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